Weddings, Murderous Stares, and Battle Plans
by MustLoveMustyPages
Summary: Nebula is at a wedding, ready to murder someone, and her reprieve comes in a most unexpected form.


Somehow, in a way that would only ever work in the messed up lives of Nebula and Gamora, the two had become friends. Even more than that, they'd become _sisters._

Not just in title, like when they had lived and operated under Thanos's orders as children and young adults, but sisters in the truest sense of the word. It took time, but after Nebula's soul-bearing declaration to Gamora on Ego's planet, they'd reconciled. All it took was some yelling and attempted murder on both parts first.

Nebula didn't remember a time before Thanos. She knew Gamora did, and that was another thing on a list of hundreds she'd resented her for. While Gamora knew of love and family and belonging, Nebula had only ever known of training and punishment and missions. Nebula had always thought that _one_ difference was what had made Gamora excel - that her sister remembered what it was like to be loved unconditionally and had forged that as part of her armor.

Nebula's armor was entirely of Thanos's making, and it was of the physical kind, no emotional affirmations or loving memories to build her up. Every time she had lost in a battle to Gamora, he had taken away a piece of herself and warped her into the abdominal mut she had become.

It was when she was a teenager that the body modifications had first started.

They had begun as purely mechanical in nature, but as she grew older and the complexity of her missions changed, so had the modifications. Nebula had realized that they were becoming more and more aesthetic, changing her body to attract attention and not just to be a highly weaponized killing machine.

She could still see the look in Thanos's eyes when she was down on the ground, Gamora above her in righteous victory. He had looked at them both in a way that no father should look at this daughters, adopted or not. And although he hadn't actually touched them, she could _feel_ it all the same, down to her bones.

Afterwards, he would accompany Nebula to the mechanic/doctor who would construct her "enhancements."

Thanos had reminded both Nebula and Gamora countless times that they were not their own persons, and as such, neither were their bodies. They were tools to kill, and Thanos would use them in any means necessary to achieve that goal.

Even years after Nebula was out from under Thanos's control, his modifications were making her life miserable. People tended to stare at the girl who was more cyborg than humanoid, who had a body made to draw attention, regardless of whether the body's owner wanted it or not.

And here she was at a wedding, sitting in a room full of mostly strangers and subjecting herself to the stares of several male attendees that looked like they had something much different in mind than asking her to dance.

Trying to subdue the urge to kill everyone, Nebula redirected her attention to the empty table she was seated at, plucking a piece of fruit from the centerpiece.

She went to take a bite when it was unexpectedly yanked from her grasp. Murder list momentarily falling down to a count of one, she jerked her head to the right and saw Peter Quill's friend with the mechanical fin standing there.

He opened his mouth to say something then, but she cut him off, "If you say it's not ripe, you're dead."

A pair of blue eyebrows rose in response. "It's not, but _here_. This is." A plate was suddenly thrust onto the table in front of her. And it was filled with dozens of pieces of diced fruit. She turned questioningly to the man… Yondu, she thought she remembered Gamora telling her. He had been some sort of foster parent to Peter. "But nothing like Thanos," Gamora had quickly added before Nebula could draw the wrong conclusions, her own experience with a "foster parent" not having been ideal.

Without another thought, Nebula took a bite of the fruit. It had been a long time since someone had tried to kill her with poison, and she highly doubted this event would be the time they'd start.

She was several bites into the plate when she realized that Yondu was still standing there. When she turned to glare at him, though, she found that he was not looking at her at all but the couple in the middle of the dance floor, swaying back and forth in each other's arms. His expression was surprisingly affectionate for a man who was known for his mind-controlled arrow responsible for hundreds (if not thousands) of deaths.

"That boy's father didn't deserve him," Yondu commented roughly, more to himself, Nebula thought, than to her.

Still, she agreed, and she told him as much. "Ego may not have been Thanos," she said, almost smiling at the burst of sweet fruit in her mouth. Fruit, something she had never been allowed as a child, had quickly become one of her favorite things in life. "But he was definitely not at the top of the father of the year list."

At the name Thanos, Yondu's eyes darkened, and for the first time since he walked over, the man looked slightly uncomfortable. She briefly wondered if he had heard the stories of her childhood from Gamora, much like how Nebula had heard of Peter's. "Calling that man a father is a disgrace to the title." Startled, Nebula realized that it wasn't discomfort at all that she was noticing in the man's body, but _rage._

So, Gamora _had_ revealed to him at least something of their childhood. She felt almost pleased that someone else was angry on her behalf. That was also something she had never been allowed as a child - emotions... empathy.

When Nebula had told Yondu's second in command that after killing her sister, she was going to go after Thanos next, she had been 100% serious.

The only difference now was that she no longer intended to murder Gamora. If anything, she might try convincing her sister to join in. Although Nebula hadn't breached the subject yet, she has time.

Still, it wouldn't be hard to start planning now. She looked at Yondu with a new set of eyes. A man with an arrow _could_ come in handy.

Recognizing her changed attention, Yondu smiled. "Don't expect my help for free. It'll cost you."

Instantly Nebula stiffened. She'd had enough of favors and self-sacrifices for a lifetime. There was no way she was trading one Thanos and his twisted manipulations for another. "No thanks," she replied, her voice gone to ice.

Yondu blinked, uncomprehending of her shift in demeanor. "It's just a dance."

Nebula titled her head to the side. "A dance?" she asked, glancing out at the sea of people who looked to be enjoying themselves.

"Sure. One dance and then you can start telling me of your plans to kill that man you once called 'father.'" He held out a hand with a mock bow. "I may even let you start half way through the song."

Within a second, Nebula was on her feet, although she ignored Yondu's hand until they were on the dance floor.

She could feel her sister's eyes on her instantly. She was still getting accustomed to having someone care about her well-being, but she knew enough to give a little shake of her head anyway to let Gamora know she was fine and that she didn't need to kill anyone on Nebula's behalf.

Once they started moving, Nebula spoke. "You know," she said, with a hint of warning in her voice, "Once I start talking about murder, I don't stop."

Yondu's smiling response of "Promises, promises" was so unexpected, especially since she had once said the same to him, that Nebula let out a loud, cackling laugh.

When everyone's attention turned to them, Nebula just focused on where her feet were supposed to move next, and it was at that moment she decided maybe some stares weren't so bad after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Pinch Hit For Etnoe in Rare Pair Fest 2017**

 **So... this is kind of everything and nothing you requested. I'm completely horrible at PWP so my apologies for not being able to provide that. I did try to accomplish #2, but it became something else entirely that is much more fluffy than you were probably wanting. I did want to include a mention** to **the "Promises, promises" quote, though, because I also loved that line in the movie.**

 **This is un-betaed due to the last minute nature of pinch hits, so the guaranteed mistakes are all mine.**

 **I also wanted to mention that I have a few other plot bunnies in this universe for your requests of Peter/Gamora and Drax/Mantis if you'd be interested. All having to do with dancing, of course, because it's a wedding and that's what you're supposed to do. Also, given Guardian's high musical involvement, dancing comes up surprisingly often in the storyline for it being a superhero franchise. I may even have a short drabble idea for a Rocket & Groot piece to go along with the others.**

 **Let me know what you think! I like comments/feedback like Nebula likes (ripe) fruit!**


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